“That would require significant concessions,” Arthur said. “Starting with the immediate transfer of all business entities.”

Daniel looked up from the corner, his face pale and defeated.

The door to the conference room opened.

A young legal assistant walked in, carrying a fresh envelope.

She walked past the whispering Carters and handed the envelope directly to Arthur.

Arthur opened it, read the single page inside, and his eyebrows raised.

He handed the paper to me.

My eyes scanned the lines.

It was an urgent message from the forensic accountant we had hired to track the remaining domestic accounts.

The text at the bottom of the page made my heart skip a beat.

I looked up from the paper and met Daniel’s eyes.

He was watching me, a look of desperate pleading in his expression.

But there was something else in his pocket.

His phone began to vibrate against the glass table, the harsh buzzing sound cutting through the quiet room.

He did not reach for it.

The screen lit up, displaying a name I recognized immediately.

It was Sophia.